The Rebbetzin: Her Life & Beyond

A short biography of the life and times of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson נ”ע זי”ע.

First article of a four-part series on COLlive, presented by A Chassidisher Derher in conjunction with Jewish Educational Media, in connection with the Rebbetzin’s 30th Hilula. generously dedicated by Dovid and Chanie Junik and family, and COLlive.com.

This article is the first of a four-part series about the life and work of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson נ”ע זי”ע, her passing, and the Rebbe’s call to chasidim of “והחי יתן אל ליבו” – to learn from her life and organize activities in her memory, presented by A Chassidisher Derher, and JEM in connection with the special milestone of 30 years since her Histalkus. The photos and videos in these articles are courtesy of Jewish Educational Media and Kehot Publication Society.

The 22 Shevat Special in this month’s Derher magazine is generously dedicated by Dovid and Chanie Junik and family

Birth
Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka was born in the town of Babinovitch, near Lubavitch, on Shabbos 25 Adar, 5661 (תרס“א).

At the time, the Rebbe Rashab was visiting Germany due to health reasons. He was notified via telegram about the birth, and he immediately dispatched a telegram back with a mazal tov and the suggestion that she be named Chaya Mushka, after her great-great-grandmother, the Rebbetzin of the Tzemach Tzedek. He also sent a letter in which he repeated the suggestion and included many brachos for the new baby and her parents.

Natural Self Sacrifice

Until she was fourteen years of age, the Rebbetzin and her sisters grew up in Lubavitch, where their father, the Frierdiker Rebbe, paid close attention to their education.

The melamed hired to tutor the Rebbetzin and her sisters thought to use a rationalist approach. He felt it would be unwise to inculcate them with stories of supernatural events or extreme self-sacrifice. However, the Frierdiker Rebbe disagreed. He told him that on the contrary, Jewish education must begin with stories about mesiras nefesh; it is specifically those stories “vos leigen zich,” that are naturally grasped and understood by a Jewish child.

When the Rebbe retold the story, he pointed out that this story shows that the mesiras nefesh that later so characterized her life was a focal point of her education as a child growing up in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s home.

The trait of mesiras nefesh instilled in the Rebbetzin from such a young age is evident in many of the stories about the Rebbetzin from her young adult years in the Soviet Union, then under Nazi Germany, and in other situations. “Schneersons don’t fear anyone,” the Frierdiker Rebbe told his captors when he was arrested, and the Rebbetzin was a personification of that trait.

The Arrest

One of the famous times the Rebbetzin played a major role in Lubavitch history was during the Frierdiker Rebbe’s arrest and imprisonment. With the rise of communism and their fierce battles against Yiddishkeit, the fear that the Frierdiker Rebbe would be arrested soon turned to a reality, and at midnight of 15 Sivan 5687 (תרפ“ז), the Secret Police arrived to arrest the Frierdiker Rebbe. Reb Elya Chaim Althaus describes how the Rebbetzin alerted the Rebbe of the new elements in their home:

“Through the open window, she called to Reb M. M. Schneerson, who was approaching. ‘Schneerson, guests have come to visit us.’
“He understood, and immediately ran from the courtyard to inform the close Chassidim.”

That night, the Frierdiker Rebbe was arrested. After an international outcry, his sentence was mitigated to exile for three years to the city of Kostroma. The Rebbetzin was chosen to accompany him on his journey.

They traveled to Kostroma, and after a mere ten days, the Frierdiker Rebbe was notified that he would be set free. The Rebbetzin telephoned the Frierdiker Rebbe’s home in Leningrad and notified them, “We’re coming home for Shabbos! Bli pirsum, without publicity.”

The Rebbe once related in a sicha that the words bli pirsum became a slogan among the Chassidim at the time.

“When we wanted to notify other cities, we wanted to do so as quickly as possible, so we sent them telegrams signed bli pirsum. The recipients knew who was sending the telegram, and that it wasn’t a surname, but an instruction to celebrate without publicity.”

The Frierdiker Rebbe, still not entirely safe from the persecution of the authorities, traveled to Malachovka, near Moscow, where he spent several weeks away from prying eyes while awaiting exit visas.

While there, the Rebbetzin joined him for a Shabbos and they embarked together on a journey to Rostov, to the Ohel of the Rebbe Rashab, which they would visit this one last time before leaving the Soviet Union forever. Reb Folle Kahan wrote that Chassidim at the time surmised that the Rebbetzin was chosen to accompany the Frierdiker Rebbe on this journey because her wedding was approaching.

The Wedding

Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah recounted that when the Rebbe Rashab discussed potential shidduchim for their granddaughters, he said, “For Moussia, I am thinking of one of Levik’s children.”

The formation of the shidduch took place in 5683 (תרפ“ג), when the Rebbe first visited the Frierdiker Rebbe. Within a short time, the Frierdiker Rebbe decided to take the Rebbe as a son-in-law, and he invited the Rebbe to join him in a kuhr-art, a vacation town, to spend some time together. He then wrote to the Rebbetzin about their meetings.

The wedding itself was postponed for a number of years, ultimately taking place after they left Russia, on Yud-Daled Kislev 5689 (תרפ“ט), in a grand affair at Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Warsaw. The wedding has been described in many places; we will not repeat the entire story here.
One of the unique hanhagos of the Rebbetzin during the wedding related to her wedding gown. The Frierdiker Rebbe requested that she wear a gown that isn’t white. (It’s a non-Jewish custom, the Frierdiker Rebbe said.) Instead she wore a number of gowns over the course of the wedding celebration, each with a different color.

The significance of that day was discussed by the Rebbe on Yud-Daled Kislev 5714, when the Rebbe held a farbrengen marking the twenty-fifth anniversary. The Rebbe explained that although every wedding is a special occasion, his was unique. As the Rebbe famously said, “דאס איז דער טאג וואס מ’האט מיר פארבונדען מיט אייך און אייך מיט מיר, און צוזאמען וועלן מיר אויסמאטערן די גאולה האמיתית והשלימה—This is the day that connected me to you, and you to me, and together we will achieve the true and ultimate redemption.”

A New Self-Sacrifice

Much has been written about the idea that the Rebbe’s biggest Chossid was the Rebbetzin herself. The full extent of the Rebbetzin’s role in the Rebbe’s nesius is something that remains unknown to this very day, which is undoubtedly exactly what she preferred. However, it is easy to comprehend how the weight of the burden was shared by the Rebbetzin throughout the decades of the Rebbe’s nesius. Awaiting the Rebbe’s return on the late nights of yechidus and farbrengens, the endless workdays when the Rebbe would return home with yet another bag of letters, and the endless stream of letters and requests involved great sacrifice on the Rebbetzin’s part.

There were parts of the Rebbe’s physical work that the Rebbetzin was directly involved in as well. The Rebbetzin would read vast amounts of information, passing on whatever would be of interest to the Rebbe, and many people, especially during emergencies, would pass their requests to the Rebbe through her.

The Rebbetzin’s Impact on the Seforim Trial

For the average Chassidim in 770, the Rebbetzin was very rarely, if ever, seen. However, there were watershed moments during the Rebbe’s nesius when it was the Rebbetzin’s input that changed the course of events. Although her involvement in the Rebbe’s work is something that remains mostly unrevealed until this day, we do know a few—but extremely pivotal—stories that give us a glimpse into the Rebbetzin’s input.

One such critical time was during the trial for the Rebbe’s library, where the Rebbetzin’s comments had a major impact on the judge’s decision.
As the various parties were called upon to give testimony, Chassidim hoped that the Rebbetzin would not need to give a deposition, but the Rebbe told Rabbi Krinsky not to try avoiding it, because she would do very well.
The Rebbetzin sat at the table, regal and composed, surrounded by the lawyers of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, the opposing side’s lawyers, and a whole team of assistants. She was extremely precise; she did so well that the opposing attorneys were very frustrated.

At the end, one of them asked bluntly, “Mrs. Schneerson, in your opinion, tell us, who did the books belong to?”

The Rebbetzin replied, “The sefarim belong to the Chassidim, because my father belonged to the Chassidim.” Hearing this, the opposing lawyers threw down their pencils in frustration. Indeed, when the video footage of this exchange was played in the courtroom, the judge, who was known to never display his personal emotions during a trial, reacted with one word: “remarkable.”

After the Rebbetzin’s histalkus, the Rebbe pointed out that these words had a profound impact on the judge, persuading him to make the right decision. The Rebbe said:

“Regarding the story of Yud-Tes Kislev, the Alter Rebbe emphasized in his letter that his release was great and wondrous in the eyes of the nations of the world… Similarly, the nifteres [the Rebbetzin] responded in a manner that impressed even non-Jews, saying that her father, the [Frierdiker] Rebbe, along with all his sefarim, belong to the Chassidim. This brought about that the non-Jews included it in their verdict as well…”

Royalty

Although the Rebbetzin was rarely seen in public, some individuals merited to have a close relationship with her and had the honor of visiting her home.
All visitors describe how she held a regal and majestic presence, and yet she managed to make every single person in the room feel comfortable. Each individual present would receive due attention. She would speak to the young children on their level, often preparing toys and candies and personally entertaining them, while to bochurim, she would inquire in their learning and their activities in hafatzas hamaayanos. The setting was malchusdik, but each person felt important and valued.

The regal atmosphere was coupled with a genuine feeling that the Rebbetzin felt extremely humble. Every request from the Rebbetzin was accompanied by an apology for taking the person’s time, effort, and so on. When the shluchim sent the Rebbetzin a gift, she expressed her appreciation to Mrs. Leah Kahan, adding, “They are so busy, and who am I?”.The Rebbetzin’s nachas was so evident that after her passing, the first Sefer Hashluchim was dedicated in her memory with the Rebbe’s consent, and the hakdasha explains that her “concern for the wellbeing and success of the shluchim knew no bounds.”

The Rebbetzin showed a similar interest in all of the Rebbe’s campaigns and initiatives.

Mrs. Louise Hager describes how the Rebbetzin once showed her a video of mitzva tanks visiting dangerous outposts of Israeli soldiers. The Rebbetzin had been so impressed with the video, she wanted to share the pleasure with her. On some occasions, the Rebbetzin would encourage her to get more involved herself. “She did it very subtly,” Mrs. Hager relates. “I didn’t even realize it at the time, but looking back, I can see that she dropped these small hints. She would say, ‘I’m sure you can do it,’ or ‘go for it,’ ‘try it out.’”

The video in this article is a trailer of The Rebbetzin: A Glimpse Into The Life Of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson נ”ע זי”ע, Wife Of The Rebbe, by Jewish Educational Media. Culled from tens of hours of in-depth interviews, The Rebbetzin presents stories told by several of those who knew her. What emerges is a portrait of a woman to whom Klal Yisroel owes a debt of gratitude: The Rebbe’s full and deserving life-partner. To purchase the full DVD, click here.
This series is one of several initiatives in preparation for this year’s yahrtzeit-hilula.

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